Beautiful Scars
by Shadowess
Summary: Kaoru knocks over the wash tub and Kenshin and her get wet, she sees Kenshin w/ his gi off and contemplates his scars (in Kenshin POV)


Beautiful Scars  
By: Kate Lumsden aka Shadowess (kenshins_realm@hotmail.com or katelumsden@home.com)  
Written: Oct, 11, 2000  
  
AUTHORS NOTE: This is my first RK fanfic...so please be kind with your reviews. Rurouni Kenshin  
does not belong  
to me it belongs to Watsuki Nobuhiro.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Ugly!"  
"Yahiko!" Kaoru screamed and began to chase her student around the dojo. She yelled again,  
"I mean Yahiko-CHAN!!!"  
"Don't call my CHAN!" Yahiko called back.  
  
At his place beside the washing tub, Kenshin laughed at the scene, which has almost, no it has, become  
a ritual on a daily basis. Kenshin welcomed the sounds of their bickering. Of Yahiko, the son he never  
had and the generation he had fought for, and Kaoru, no Kaoru-dono. (Sessha, she doesn't belong to  
you.) Kenshin mentally corrected and scorned himself. He had fallen in love with her the moment he  
sensed her. Then he smelt her, the scent of jasmine and her own unique smell of sweat from chasing him  
down. Then her voice; demanding, courageous, but afraid at the same time. She had plenty of nerve  
and guts to go after the murderous Hitokiri Battow-sai armed only with her iron will and a wooden  
sword. Finally he saw her. An angel. No other words could describe her beauty. Hmm actually at the  
time she looked like an angel ready for battle, but an angel none the less. He was so happy living with  
her and Yahiko. His little family along with Sano, Megumi, Dr. Genazi and his two granddaughters.  
Most of them were orphans, just like him, all of them were alone but now everyone is happy.  
  
Kenshin couldn't be any happier. Well, the only think he would and did wish for was Kaoru, - dono.  
He wished she loved him, but he wasn't worthy of her. She could never love him. Sighing Kenshin  
returned to the laundry with the sounds of Kaoru-dono and Yahiko in the distance. Kenshin noticed  
that he was absentmindedly scrubbing the same cloth since the bickering began and he lost himself in his  
thoughts. Kenshin's face went as red as his hair as he realized he was holding -her-undergarments. In  
his state he didn't notice Yahiko hurdle over the washing tub and land beside him on his left and run off.  
Kenshin looked up in time to see Kaoru in mid air followed by the washtub and its contents.  
  
THUD  
  
I was on my back with Kaoru lying on top of me. The washtub lay to our left with the clothes on the  
ground. Kaoru and I were both soaked by the water. Yahiko pointed and fell over on his side laughing  
at Kaoru. I secretly inhaled her scent from her hair that was flattened to my face.  
"Oh Kenshin, I'm so sorry." She apologized. She placed her hand on the bare part of my chest and  
caught my eye. I smiled my usual innocent smile. How I wanted to grab her chin and bring her lips to  
mine.  
"No problem Kaoru-dono." Her eyes fell from mine for a moment then she got up and saw the mess  
she made of the laundry.  
"Oh I ruined all you're hard work." She offered her hand to help me up.  
"Well I managed to save something." I held out the fabric in my hand. It was the last thing I was  
washing before-  
"K-K-Kenshin!!!" She screamed, her face was bright red with anger and embarrassment. Yahiko  
laughed even harder. I looked at the cloth I held and felt my heart stop, 'her underwear.' I quickly put  
my hand and the fabric behind my back.  
"Kaoru-dono I-"  
  
WHAM  
  
A bokken to the head, I deserved that.  
  
A little later, after my lumps had gone down, I was preparing a bath for Kaoru-dono. She came into the  
bath room as I was testing the water. She was still wearing her wet practice clothes, as I still wearing  
my soaked gi and hakama.  
"Kaoru-dono, maybe you should wait to have your bath."  
"Why?"  
"Well when the washtub fell over all the clothes got dirty, so I have to wash and dry them. The only  
clothes I have clean and dry are mine."  
"Oh," she looked down, "Well can I borrow them?" Her face was slightly flushed. I was a little shocked  
that she wanted to wear my clothes.  
"I guess so. I'll go and get them for you." I started to leave but she grabbed my arm.  
"But what are you going to change into?"  
"You don't have to worry about me Kaoru-dono."  
"Are you sure?"  
"Yes, I'll go and get you're, I mean my clothes." I smiled at her and left to get my clothes. I left them in  
the dressing room for her.  
  
"Kenshin?" I heard her little call and came to the door. I had previously removed my wet gi to let it dry.  
I hadn't thought to cover myself before I went to answer her. My response to her is automatic. She slid  
the door open and a small gasp escaped her lips when she saw me.  
"Yes, Kaoru-dono?"  
"H-How do I look?" She did a little spin and posed for me. I smiled at the thought of her spinning and  
posing only for me. I looked at her, seeing my hakama and gi on her made me almost feel like I was  
touching her. My gi opened in more of a 'V' on the neckline. I could see the swells of her breasts.  
"Kenshin?" Her voice snapped my head up.  
"Oro?" She giggled at my confusion.  
"Kaoru-dono you look wonderful. You look better in them than I do." She blushed at my comment.  
"Why are you not wearing a gi?" I suddenly felt very naked under her gaze.  
"I'm letting it dry."  
"Oh," she muttered, her eyes were exploring my bare chest.  
"Kaoru-do-" she put a finger to my lips,  
"Shh." I was confused. She removed her finger from my lips. She placed her right hand on my left  
shoulder. She traced a scar on my shoulder, and one on my breastplate, one on my left side. She  
touched the fainter scars that time had lightened. She slowly ran her hands down my arms and touched  
the scars on my wrists. Some from enemies and some from my pain-myself. I heard a faint sad sign as  
she saw those scars. I moved to pull back my hands, ashamed, but she held them tight with her own.  
She coaxed my to turn around. She trailed a fingers down the long scar across my back. She touched  
on the other ones that were on my back, she turned me slowly around again so I faced her. She didn't  
make eye contact with me the whole time. I felt tempted to say something, never before had my body  
and it's scars be observed and caressed. Her hand brushed the two scars on my neck that Aoshi dealt  
me. She moved up to my signature scar on my left cheek. She started under my eye near my nose  
and caressed the deep line. Then she grazed the line that came close to my ear to my chin.  
"Oh Kenshin you're too beautiful to have so many scars." Tears. She was crying, and for me.  
"Kaoru-dono..."  
"Kenshin," she placed her right hand over my heart, "This is scarred too. I can feel it."  
"Kaoru-dono..."  
"Kaoru, call me Kaoru, please."  
"Kaoru, that was a long time ago."  
"But it still hurts, doesn't it?" I finally looked up at her, the tears where still in her eyes and tumbling  
down her cheeks. She reached her hand up and wiped away a tear from my face.  
"Kenshin, you're crying." Everything I had been holding came out. My childhood, or lack of, my life as  
the Battow-sai and Tomoe. How I longed for someone to hold me and let me cry, let me talk. Kaoru  
held me tight in her loving embrace. I had let out everything that was hurting inside. Almost everything,  
but I couldn't stop now. I felt like I was ranting with feverous intensity.  
"Kaoru, I love you, more than you could ever know. But I know I'm not worthy of you, you could  
never love me."  
There was a long moment of silence. I looked up to her ready for disappointment.  
"You baka." She smiled at me.  
"Oro?"  
"How could I -not- love you?"  
"What?" Then it happened. Her lips found mine. As we kissed I thought I was going to fall over and die  
of surprise, happiness and relief at the same time. We stayed in the dressing room for the rest of the  
night, and since the first time I can remember, I was content. I didn't have any nightmares, only dreams  
of her, my Kaoru.  
  
THE END  
tell me what you think....kenshins_realm@hotmail.com  
and visit my Kenshin page!!!  
Kenshin's Realm  
http://kenshins_realm.tripod.com 


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